Mechanical refrigerator apparatus



' 3 sheets-snelst 1 L. l..` ToRREY Filed Dec. V5, 1952 Illllllllllllll-IIIIIIIIL MECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR APPARATUS April 6, 1937.

April 6, 1937. L L. T oRREY MECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR APPARATUS Filed nec.:5, 1952 :s Vsheets-sheet 2 April 6, 1937- L. l.. ToRREY I 2,075,838

MECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR PPARATUS Filed Deo. 3, 1932 s sheets-sheet s'Mnl, '-2' m17 JS Pmi Patented pr. 6, 9'337 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEMEonANloAL REFRIGERATOR APPARATUS Lucien'L. Torrey, Los Angeles, Calif.Application December s, 1932, serial No. 645,602

8 claims. (ci. isz-116) This invention relates te/ mechanicalrefrigerator apparatus, and more particularly concerns improvements insuch devices for household employment.

M any types of such devices have heretofore been proposed, andmanufactured, in the endeavor to produce a structure which is competentof responding to the varied requirements of the household, and to giveeconomic, satisfactory and 10 sanitary service under such variedconditions.

15 temperature for preservation and the necessities One of the objects.of` the present invention is to provide a ,storage chamber structurefor such a system, in' which various food stuffs may be segregatedaccording to their requirements of of maintainingvarious groups orclasses of food stuis separated 'from one another to preventdeterioration of one or more articles by the absorption of odors fromother articles.

Another `feature of the present invention is to provide a storagechamber structureofthis type in which independent compartments are(provided, with independent closing doors, wherebythe energy valuesrepresented by the cold` in the various compartments are not dissipatedimmediately upon opening a general door for the structure, along withthe provision of independent means for cooling such compartments wherebythey may be independently maintained at ldef sired predeterminedtemperatures in substantial independence of y one another.

Another feature ofthe present invention is the kprovision of a storagechamber structure comprising removable independent compartment devvices, supported by a common frame, with the provision of means forcooling the same which are mounted upon the 'same frame.

Still another feature of the, present invention is the 'provision of .astorage chamber structure 40 having general insulating walls and ageneral closing door, in conjunction with individual stor- Iage chambersand meansI for cooling Ithe same to diil'erent temperatures, along withthe provi,

.sion 'of internal insulating walls to segregate chambers of highertemperature from those of lower temperature. A

A still further feature of thex present invention is the provision ofindividual storage chambers with independently sealed devices wherebythesame may be drained independently'without danger of'the transfer ofodorsv from one chamber to another, or from the exterior to any chamber.

With these and other objects in View as will appear in .thepcourse ofthe following specification and claims, an illustrative forml yofconiaries, the Igeneral storage chamber, and the inv dividualcompartments with their cooling means.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view substantially on line 3-3 ofFigure 2.v

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view substantially on line 4-4ofFigure 3.

Figure 4a is a detail sectional view, showing a removable connection andtrap f or the drainage system.

Figure 5 is aperspective view on a larger -scale showing a detail of thelassemblage of the frame, insulating pieces', front panel, and doors.

Figure 6 is`a vertical sectional view, showing the relationship of acompartment to the general drain tube.v l D Figure 7 is a fragmentaryviewron a still larger sca1e,-ofv an individual drain for a compartment.

In these iig11res,"a general insulating casing I0 having side, top,bottom and rearwalls, each illustrated as formed of balsa plies andjoined at from this door is a face panel P (Fig. 1 -illustrated ascomprised of two sections each extending from top to bottom, and servingto close off within the general insulating structure a compartmentwithinwhich individual storage chambersand their cooling means maybedisposed.l The gereral drain pipe 281 is preferably removable, and `hasits lower end received in la pocket of the bottom wall of casing ,lil(Fig. 4a) and is. supported at intervals along its length by ears 28ewhichare received by the hooks 28h secured to the -rear wallofthe casingI0 (Figs. 3 and 6) In Figs. land 3, the structure is shown to have sevensuch individual storage chambers, denominated A, B, C, D, E, F, and, G,which are illustrated as being .of diierent arbitrarily selecteddimensions. Each of these compartments is provided (Fl'g. 1) .with adoor I 2a, |211, I2c, l2d, i.2e i2f, or lg-having a. pivotal mounting byhinges I3 (Figs. 1 and 6) to the face panel P'whereby they may swingdown -to expose the contents oi the individual compartment; 'I'he centerof gravity of the door when closed tends to hold it 1'0 work includesthe vertical posts or uprights I6 and is braced'by suitable bolts I6from the rear chamber wall I0. Extending horizontally between the rearposts I5 are pluralities of rails I1 arranged in pairs on each post sothat (Fig. 2) they 15 .may receive between them the structure forming anindividual storage chamber. The rails I1are preferably in the form ofangle members which` form supporting members for the storage chamberstructures. arranged in groups and constitute guide means on which theindividual storage chamberstructures ,are slidable for permittinginsertion and removal of the same. At the front of Ithese structures,the frame is Joined to the face panel P. The junctions of at least thefront posts -I 6 to rails I1, and the junction of the face panels P tothe frame are separableJso .that the face panels may be removed, toleave clear the space between the upper rail for one lower rail for thenext higher chamber. These .rails are supported likewise `by bracemembers I9 (Fig.` 3) servingto relieve the attachments between the railsand posts from twisting strains whenF the front posts have beendisengaged.

Since two vertical rowsof chambers are provided'in the illustrated form,gaps exist between the two pairs of posts i6 provided for e'ach row f,in the illustratedl construction, and between these pairs and the sidewalls of the casing I 0. These gaps are spanned at the front by aninsulating piece 20 (Figs. 4 and 5) bolted to the central front postsI5; and by similar insulating pieces 20a located between the sidewallsand the lateral :front posts I5. Horizontal barsI I8 are connected tothe rear posts I5 and e the side walls. These members v.thereforesupport the posts i6 with respect to the side walls and prevent laterallmovement of these posts, while permitting the frame assembly to bewithdrawn after removal of the securing means for the face panel P. 'Ihefront insulation pieces 20 and 20a are likewise secured directly to thisface panel P itself. To' assist in insulating the spacebehind thegfacepanel, horizontal insulation pieces 20h are provided (Figs. 5 and 6).

- Slidable into each double pair of rails I 1 are the individualyystorage 'chamber structures, which 'may be referred to as cans, and areindicated generally as A, B, C,.DE, F, and G in Fig. 2. As shown in thedrawings, each of these cans has top, bottom, side and end walls 25, butVis open at the front. Each can is received through an opening in theface panel which is normally closed by a door (Figs/1 and 61) Eachopening is of slightly greater vertical dimension than the correspondingcan,vand each can is provided in this illustrated form with the stop bar25a be-- neath its bottom and spaced from the front edge a distancecorresponding to the thickness of the face panel P. The can thus may beslid into position while its front end is raised, and the stop o bar 25awill then clear the lower-,edge of the yopening in the face panel P, andupon lowering 75 this bar will thereafter prevent the removal of 'Ihesupporting members are y lowestpoint or points 'to and frontpostschamber and the tend between the can until-its front edge has againbeen lifted.

correspondingly the raising and lowering move-,-

ment of the rear or inner end of the can permits the engagement of itsdischarge point 26, orA its withdrawal, inrespect to the liquid sealtube 21 which prevents the passage of odors into or out of theparticular chamber, but adapted to discharge any dew or liquid into ageneral drain having a separable connection to a sealed conduit' 28alocated beneath the general storage chamber and leading to a readilyaccessible location for a drip pail 29 (Fig. 2). 'I'he face panel P isprevented from normal withdrawal from the casing by the removable moding strips Pm. (Figs. 3 and 4).

Since only dew is separated, a very small pail capacity is suilicientyas it is ynot necessary t handle the' large volume of water'as'is thecase with an ice refrigerator. the bottom wall I0 concave and leading atits the separable connections which provide seals, so .that any dewseparated externally of the cansv is likewise passed through conduit 26ato the drip pail 26.

Since it is intended that the chambers A, B, and C shall be cooled to alower temperature than the compartments D, E, F, and G, a verticalinsulating partition 3|! is provided within the general space, extendingfrom the back wall I0 to the insulating piece 20 behind the face panel P(Fig. 4) whereby to prevent the chambers .assuming the same temperature.Likewise, the chambers (and their cooling means. as describedhereinafter) may be separated from one another by the horizontalinsulating partitions 30a illustrated Between the chambers in theright-handrow in Fig. 2, extending from the insulating pieces 20hadjacent the face panel to the rear wall of cas-l ing I 0, and from theAvertical partition 30 to the side wall, to restrict heat transmissionbetween chambers and their cooling means.

Each of the cans, being independently mounted on its rails I1, isalsoprovided with an independent cooling coil 35 which surrounds therails for we particular can and rests on the mounting.

bars I1a. Each coilobviously may be easilyinserted andremoved, whenfront posts I5, face panel P and insulation pieces 20,- 2|Ia arewithdrawn, by simply pulling it forward along the guide rails I1 (seeFig. 3).

Each of these coils is provided .with an independent expansion valve 36or 31 (Fig. 2) whereby liquid refrigerant may be' released from a highpressureI conduit 3B into the corresponding coil for evaporationtherein. refrigerant may thence'pass to-the gaseous refrigerant returnpipes 39, 60 an'd `back to thecompressor. f l

It will particularly be noted that by regulating the expansion-valvesindependently of one another, the individual chambers maybe main'-tained at predetermined and closely regulated temperatures. Theexpansion` valves 26 are preferably of the vacuum. operated type, sothat refrigeration is proceeding in these coils at all times, and theymay be brought vto lvery low temperatures.. The temperature of the upperchamber A,for example, is preferably maintained around 18 F., so thatwater Vmay be quickly It is preferred to have 'I'he evaporated ture ofaround 16 F., sothat it is adapted forthe storage of products requiringa temperature below the freezing point of water, b because, of theirodor or for like reasons bei unsatisfactory to maintain in the samechamber with freezing water or a jelly, for example, located in thechamber A. Such articles are cheeses, etc.

The lowest chamber C in the left-hand column may be maintained at atemperature of around 14 F., and thus will serve for long time storageof frozen meats, fish, vand like products which must not be raised tothe melting point oftheir Juices. 2o The chambers in the right-handcolumn may similarly be graded in .temperature with the highesttemperature, in the upper chamber D, of the order of 40 F., for example,so that it may be employed for the storage of fruits or vegetables whichwill not endure a lower temperature or the dehydration of a lowertemperature. The other chambers E and F have successively lowertemperatures, while the lowest chamber G is preferably maintained at F.It'will be seen that in 30 eachv row, the lowest temperature ismaintained inthe lowest chamber, so that convection currents Within thegeneral compartment 'are largely eliminated.

, Thusit will be noted that all of the chambers on the left aremaintained at temperatures below the freezing point of water, while.those at the right are preferably maintained at higher temperatures.Therefore, no frost separation-occurs on the"wa1ls of these latterchambers when air is admitted thereto and the collecting dew is rapidlydischarged through the individual drains 26 thereof. Since each of thesedrains is sub-A degree in each of these chambers. On the otherhand,the-temperatures in the chambers D, E, F, and G must be closelyregulated and, maintained, and hence it is preferred to employ- 55thermostatically operated expansion valves 31 for each of thesechambers.

The power-compressor plant for manufacturv ing liquid refrigerant isshown in Figs. 2 and 3 to comprise a motor structure M, a compressorstructure N connected thereto, an air condenser R having a fan T d rivenby an independentA elec tric motor S I'he gaseous refrigerant passingfrom the return conduits 39 enters a common '65 return conduit 50, andthus passes ultimately into the compressor N where it is raised to ahighpressure and receives an increment of temperature. Leaving thecompressor N by the conduitv 5I, this compressed hot gaseous refrigerantis 70 cooled incondenser R so that it condenses and then passes byaliquid refrigerant conduit 52 into the receiver 53. The Iliquidrefrigerant exists therein under the high pressure of the system, andthus is raised in the liquid refrigerant con- 75 duit." in proportion asit is permitted to escape through the various expansion valves 36 and"vAs shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a housing is provided beneath the insulatingcasing for the reception of the apparatus for producing liquidrefrigerant. This housing comprises a bottom wall for supportingA theelements of this apparatus, and the end walls lum, I 0n which areapertured, with the provision of louvres in the illustrated form,

for the passage of the air employed for cooling the compressed gaseousrefrigerant. Rear and f tion of the fan T. Preferably (Fig. 3) the frontwall Ills is formed as or provided with a vdoor structure includingthebottom clip pieces I0v and the top catch Illw so` that this front wallmay be removed to afford access to the mechanical parts and to the pail29'so that these parts may be inspected, -removed and replaced asdesired.

While an illustrative form of construction of the invention has been setforth von the'accompanying drawings, it is obvious thatA the features ofthe invention are not limitedto-this single `form of construction, butthat the invention'may and including uprights and a plurality ofsupporting members extending between said uprights andsecured thereto,`said supporting members being arranged in groups to provide guidemeans, independent refrigerating chambers slidably mountedon said guidemeans, and refrigerating means carried by said guide means for coolingsaid chambers.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, a heat insulating casing, a face panelfor closing said casing and having a plurality of aperturestherethrough,

aframework mounted in said casing and connected to said' face panel,said frarneworkiriclud-` ing uprights and groups of supporting membersextending between said uprights for providing guides -inA alignment,with said lapertures, independentv refrigerating chambers slidablymount- 'v .ed on saidguides, and refrigerating means supported by Saidguides for cooling said chambers.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, a heat insulating casing, a framework'mounted in said casing and including uprights and a plurality ofsupporting members extending between said uprights and secured thereto,said supporting members being arranged in ,groups to provide guidemeans,

independent refrigerating chambersl slidably l and including uprightsand a plurality of sup-V porting members extending between saiduprightsand secured thereto, said supporting members being arranged in groups toprovide guide means,

heat insulating walls dividing said casing into `a-pluralityof--compartments with a group of said supporting membersdisposed in each compartment, Independent refrigerating chambersslidably mounted on rsaid guide means. and' independently controlledrefrigerating coils disposed 5 in each of said compartmentsfand carriedby said guide means for independently cooling each of said chambers. l

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, a heat insulating casing, a frameworkmounted in said casing 1o and including uprights and a plurality ofsupporting members extending between said uprights i and arranged inlgroups for providing guide means, a face panel for closing said casingand having a plurality of apertures therethrough, in- 15 dependentArefrigerating chambers mounted on said guide means and accessible andremovable through one ofsaid apertures, and means for holding saidframework andgsaid face panel against movement relative to the casing.

6. In a refrigerating apparatus, a heat insulatins casing, a pluralityof independent refrigerating chambers removably mounted in said cas ing.independent refrigerating means for each of said chambers, each of saidchambers having a 25 sloping bottomiiloor terminating at a collectionpointywheneby dew may ilow thereto, a main drain pipe mounted in saidcasing, and independ- .ent liquid sealed drainage devices connectinglthe said collection lpoints to said drain' pipe, said 30 drainagedevices permitting removal of said chambers independently of movement ofsaid maindrain pipe. i .'I. In a refrigerating apparatus, aheatinsuhumming, s face panel for casing ma ming and having a plurality ofapertures therethrough.

a framework mounted "in said casing and con.

nected to said face panel, said framework includf ing uprights and soupsof supporting members extending between said uprights forl providingguides in alignment with said apertures, independent` refrigeratingchambers slidably mounted on said guides and removable through saidapertures, refrigerant conducting means surroundingl lating casing, aframework mounted in said cas' ing and including uprights and aplurality of supporting members extending between said uprights andarranged in groups ior providing guide means, a face panel for closingsaid casing and having therethrough a plurality of apertures,independent refrigerating chambers mounted on said guide means andaccessible and removablethrough one of said apertures, independentreirigerant conducting devices surrounding and carried by each of saidguide. means.' and-means for removably connecting said face panel tosaid casing whereby, upon removal thereof, an individual refrigerantconducting device may be removed from the casing. l,

LUCIEN L,

